Book Description:
The manor's rumored one-hundredth door may conceal secrets hidden as deep as the estate's bookshelves extend high . . . but the haunted past has a way of ensnaring curious souls.
In 1888, Minnie Tipton finds herself beset by the dark superstitions that envelop the Pennsylvania mansion her father bought. Convinced the vengeful spirit of a Civil War captain haunts the house and worried by her father's rapidly worsening illness, Minnie delves into the home's fraught past in an effort to bring him peace. Yet the lingering impact of the war and the gruesome tale of murder she uncovers only foster more fear and threaten to unravel Minnie's own sanity.
In the present day, Triss Bellamy eagerly steps into the role of bookshop manager in the mansion-turned-museum boasting ninety-nine doors. But Triss's dream job turns into a nightmare when havoc breaks loose with the arrival of her brother's team of self-proclaimed paranormal investigators. Their determination to find a rumored one-hundredth door--a dangerous portal to the madness long said to plague the mansion--results in calamity, leaving Triss no choice but to hunt down the truth or watch her brother slip forever beyond her reach.
An atmospheric dual-time Gothic suspense masterfully penned by acclaimed author Jaime Jo Wright with themes of a Civil War-era ghost, a possible hidden door, and unexplained mysteries at a historic mansion's bookshop with a troubled past.
My review:
I have been intrigued by the cover, title, and description of this book ever since I first saw it. I deliberately waited til close to the release date to read and review it, and now find myself wishing I had dove into it sooner.
I have been intrigued by the cover, title, and description of this book ever since I first saw it. I deliberately waited til close to the release date to read and review it, and now find myself wishing I had dove into it sooner.
I have enjoyed every book I have read by this author, but this book is a masterpiece of writing in my opinion that is even better than her previous books. It is a dual timeline story, as most of hers are. Wright seamlessly weaves the two timelines together with their different plots and characters in a way that made it a truly delightful read. Though she diabolically left a cliffhanger and switched to the other timeline a few times. (Arrrgh!)
I loved the plots and characters in both timelines, and really loved the setting - which was the same for both.
And of course I really enjoyed the bookshop part of the story.
Wright has the amazing ability to write a story that seems like there are ghosts and other paranormal activity, only to end up with a rational solution that does not involve ghosts, though the way this story went for a while, I was wondering how she was going to do that.
In the modern storyline, there are the equivalent of ghost hunters, which added an interesting twist to the story.
At the center of the story was the search for the mysterious 100th door. Do they find it? You won't get the answer from me, as I don't do spoilers.
I will say that Wright pulled together an amazing ending for both timelines, and I was left wowed by this amazing story. It was definitely worth the time I spent reading it. A very suspenseful and intriguing book that is one of the best I have read so far this year.
Special thanks to the author for an advance copy of this novel. I was under no obligation to provide a review and the thoughts contained herein are my own.
About the author:
Jaime Jo Wright, multi award-winning author--including the Christy and Daphne du Maurier awards--is a coffee-fueled and cat-fancier extraordinaire. She has entwined her life with the legendary Captain Hook, residing serenely in Wisconsin's rural woodlands. Her literary vocation involves penning chilling Gothic tales, a baffling change from that of Austenites, with a strong preference to the master of dark, Edgar Allan Poe. Two mischievous urchins adorn their family, who keep their mother on her toes - providing an exhilarating amount chaos.
Check out her website for more about Jaime and her books: JaimeWrightBooks.com
